Chapter 947: Preparing to Leave P7

Nimiya read her daughter’s mind like an open book right in front of her before speaking further.

"As for asking for more aid from Lord Aksai for your 4th attempt, just forget about it. Three Foundation Establishment Pills is already more than you deserve. Don’t try to test the island administration’s bottom line. Even the treatment I received for my breakthrough wasn’t as prodigious as yours.

"And Idiot, stop calling Lord Aksai your uncle. He isn’t an Expert like me anymore. Call him Lord Aksai or Island Master Lord Turtle. Do you want to be persecuted by the Seven Stars for disrespecting Lord Aksai?"

Niviya felt like hiding behind a curtain when she heard her mother’s words. She immediately shook her head before correcting herself.

"I... I’m sorry, Mother. It was my fault. Un... I will always call him Lord Aksai from now on... alright."

Niviya corrected herself and took a deep breath before voicing her concern.

"Anyway... Why do you think he summoned us here? Like you said, you had a deal with Lord Aksai. So he shouldn’t be involving you in such affairs even if there’s a major external conflict. So why are we here?"

Nimiya shook her head.

"Like I said, I haven’t the faintest," she said while looking around once again, "whatever it may be, it seems important enough that everyone was summoned without any exceptions."

Nimiya’s expression became thoughtful as she glanced at Jina and Naisha. The two unfamiliar Lords were still seated near the front.

"Something has definitely happened. Broth— I mean Lord Aksai never mentioned that he was affiliated with two unknown Lords. If he wanted to keep their existence and affiliation with the island a secret before, then the only reason that arrangement has been disturbed must be because..."

Nimiya stopped talking midway, as if she didn’t like where her thoughts were leading her. She too had felt the disturbance around the island when the imperial cultivators tried to storm into the island’s inner zone. However, her experiences and connections were even more limited than the Seven Stars. As such, she could only guess that the disturbance a few days ago was related to this summon.

Niviya followed her mother’s gaze but didn’t ask further. As someone who was still in the Spirit Refining realm, she knew how to stay within her lane.

Dia Naya, on the other hand, had kept her quiet from the beginning. She had no interest in participating in a mother-daughter conversation, which got heated for a brief period before cooling down. She only spoke a few words to her fellow founding member Nimiya when the latter asked her about something she was interested in.

The three women simply stood together in the corner, speaking quietly among themselves while waiting.

Like everyone else in the grand hall, they had only one thing left to do.

Wait for Aksai to arrive.

***

A few minutes later.

Hour of Tiger. (08:00 AM - 09:00 AM)

A gentle breeze suddenly swept into the grand hall from the direction of the entrance.

It was so soft that it barely disturbed the robes of those present, yet every cultivator in the hall noticed it.

The conversations immediately came to an end.

Ruan, Shuan, Ivy, Violet, Zara, Goren, and Vienna instinctively turned toward the entrance.

Even Jina and Naisha glanced in the same direction.

But there was nothing there.

The entrance was completely empty.

No footsteps could be heard. No figure could be seen approaching. There wasn’t even the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy that could reveal someone’s presence.

For a moment, everyone remained silent.

Then, almost simultaneously, they felt something.

The seven Experts turned around.

Jina and Naisha did the same.

And what they saw caused their expressions to change slightly.

A person was already sitting on the throne-like chair at the other end of the hall.

He was seated right in the middle, between the two chairs where Jina and Naisha had been sitting moments ago.

The Island Master Aksai.

He simply sat there as though he had been present from the very beginning. His expression was calm as his gaze swept across the hall.

The moment everyone recognized him, the entire atmosphere changed.

The seven Stars of Emerald Cove Island immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Lord Aksai!"

Their voices echoed through the grand hall.

The other cultivators followed without hesitation.

"Greetings, Lord Aksai!"

"Greetings, Island Master!"

The servants and lower-level cultivators who had been standing farther back also hurriedly bowed.

Even Jina and Naisha reacted.

Despite being initial-stage Lords themselves, neither woman dared to neglect the proper etiquette in front of Aksai. After all, he was the primary reason behind their current status as the Lords.

They began to rise from their seats.

However, before either of the lady Lords could fully stand, Aksai raised a hand.

"At ease, everyone."

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly throughout the hall.

Jina and Naisha stopped immediately as well.

Aksai leaned back against the throne-like chair and glanced at everyone present.

"We are kind of short on time, so there’s no need for formalities."

The atmosphere relaxed slightly.

The cultivators slowly straightened themselves.

Still, their gazes remained fixed on Aksai.

For many of them, this was the first time they had seen their Island Master appear with such an urgency.

Plus, he had arrived without making the slightest sound. Not even the two Lords had noticed him.

That alone was enough to remind everyone present of the enormous gap between their cultivation and his.

Aksai didn’t seem concerned about their reactions.

His eyes slowly moved across the hall, taking in every familiar face.

The Seven Stars and all the other cultivators gathered beneath his command stood silently before him. For a brief moment, his gaze lingered on them. Then his expression became slightly more serious.

"Now..."

Aksai rested one hand on the armrest.

"The reason I called you all here is to give you guys a warning. Um... Let me be honest with you from the start... We are going to face a crisis of gigantic proportions.

"And if we don’t leave this island soon, we will all die or, worse... be enslaved until the day we die."